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[Q] Nexus One main microphone repair/replacement?

Hi all,
I've recently had a crash - my N1 fell out from my pocket while climbing (stupid, I know..) - cracked screen, all that.. I've managed to replace the digitizer without big problems, but I have a more serious issue: the main (built-in) microphone stopped working and now I have to use the headset for every call
I've sent it to HTC service and they said the motherboard needs replacing and wanted me to pay 300$ for it..
Since it's quite a lot for a microphone, before buying the new one (at least 200$ for tho mobo alone) or sending it again to the HTC guys for repair, I'd like to ask you if there is anybody who had anything to do with those microphones or issues similar to mine.
The microphone itself is a small gold rectangle-shaped thing glued to the motherboard, but I cannot make out any markings on it (there seems to be something written on it, it's just not readable any more). It seems to be exactly the same as the noise-cancelling one near in the upper part of the phone. Of course, before cutting or soldering anything I'd like to know as much as I can..
So.. the questions are:
Has anyone repaired a thing like that or managed to replace a microphone on Nexus One motherboard? How could this be done?
Does anybody know where I could buy a microphone that would match?
I know it's a long shot (and a long post ), but I figured it's worth a try to look for somebody who might have some insight.
Thanks in advance,
Kuba
P.S. Could anyone move this question to Q&A, please?..first post gone wrong..

you could just buy a new one for under 300$ on ebay or a used one for less than 220 for everything new If something like that is messed up its not worth fixing, too much work

hitmanre,
thanks for the reply, but...
As I said, I figured the part on buying another mobo (or a broken N1 for parts) on my own.
I was just curious - from a DYI perspective - what's going on on the board and what's actually broken around the microphone.. If it was only the microphone then it should be easy enough to replace - but if it's a crack somewhere in the inner layers of the board, then bummer..
In fact, I opened my N1 again yesterday and cut the mic out...curious thing is that there seem to be only one connected soldered part between mobo ant the mic.. Could anyone explain how a microphone could work with a single connector? there doesn't seem to be any ground connection anywhere..
If I have some time, I'll post photos - but no sooner than in a week - going on vacation
See you,
Kuba

I have the same problem, and I live outside the service coverage area. I've had my Nexus One since May 2010, so it was more than one year old. It's really sad to quit such a really nice phone just because it can't make phone calls. It seems that nobody here in Lima know how to repair a N1. And I'm so afraid to open it...

I have seen 2 of these phones with the same issue. one mine and second a customers. and I have tried replacing the mic headset jack (headset jack can short out audio) and still nothing. mic works with loudspeaker but not in normal mode with earspeaker.

ok today I was able to get my hands on a working nexus. and swapped the upper flex and that fixed it.
the only thing is that we ordered this part from one of our sources to fix a power button (which is on the same part) and it had this issue. so I had to replace it again

blevinski said:
ok today I was able to get my hands on a working nexus. and swapped the upper flex and that fixed it.
the only thing is that we ordered this part from one of our sources to fix a power button (which is on the same part) and it had this issue. so I had to replace it again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also have a problem with the mic suddenly not working and working again suddenly. So it must be a damaged flex since the phone has a dent on the upper left part of it.

Blown Earpiece Speaker

Ive had my RAZR HD for just over a month. It first started with a slight buzz in the earpiece and the last couple of days the speaker completely blew up...everything sounds distorted. I have to turn it to like a 1/4 volume to make it sound normal, at which point I can't hear anything since it's too quite. This is where I'm screwed. I bought the phone outright from Rogers here in Canada and I use it on a Fido network. Since I bought it from Rogers and I don't have an account they won't deal with the warranty. I was told to call Motorola....now I'm supposed to send my phone away to them and it will take 5-10 business days for them to fix it....that's like 2 weeks....not sure what I'm supposed to use in the mean time...
I would rather just pay for someone to fix it since I need my phone for work...don't want to buy another one since I just spent over $600 on this one....but apparently there is no parts available for these yet. I came across this website
etradesupply.com/oem-motorola-droid-razr-hd-xt925-ear-speaker-flex-cable-ribbon.html (I'm not allowed to post a link so just add the www to the beginning )
Anyone ever order from them? Is this the part I need?? Also does anyone have any idea how hard would it be to replace the earpiece speaker? Thanks in advance for any info.

felcom said:
Ive had my RAZR HD for just over a month. It first started with a slight buzz in the earpiece and the last couple of days the speaker completely blew up...everything sounds distorted. I have to turn it to like a 1/4 volume to make it sound normal, at which point I can't hear anything since it's too quite. This is where I'm screwed. I bought the phone outright from Rogers here in Canada and I use it on a Fido network. Since I bought it from Rogers and I don't have an account they won't deal with the warranty. I was told to call Motorola....now I'm supposed to send my phone away to them and it will take 5-10 business days for them to fix it....that's like 2 weeks....not sure what I'm supposed to use in the mean time...
I would rather just pay for someone to fix it since I need my phone for work...don't want to buy another one since I just spent over $600 on this one....but apparently there is no parts available for these yet. I came across this website
etradesupply.com/oem-motorola-droid-razr-hd-xt925-ear-speaker-flex-cable-ribbon.html (I'm not allowed to post a link so just add the www to the beginning )
Anyone ever order from them? Is this the part I need?? Also does anyone have any idea how hard would it be to replace the earpiece speaker? Thanks in advance for any info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The part you linked is just the connecting cable for everything. If it is the problem, it is because one of the ribbon connections is not making good contact which should be able to be fixed by reseating the cable. I would say the phone needs tore down first before ordering anything to check the connection points. The problem is with the front earpiece and not the speakerphone speaker on the back, right?

Yes the earpiece speaker not the loud speaker...are you sure the earpiece speaker is not built into that part??...I looked at the images and it looked like the speaker was part of it.
Has anyone done a write up on teardown of the phone?? I remember I read a post somewhere where a guy did it and said you just undo the 2 screws at the bottom and then push up on the screen...apparently everything is connected to the battery cover on this phone...but before I would attempt this I would like to see a write up, orderly preferably with pictures....and I can't find one...
Sent from my XT925 using xda app-developers app

felcom said:
Yes the earpiece speaker not the loud speaker...are you sure the earpiece speaker is not built into that part??...I looked at the images and it looked like the speaker was part of it.
Has anyone done a write up on teardown of the phone?? I remember I read a post somewhere where a guy did it and said you just undo the 2 screws at the bottom and then push up on the screen...apparently everything is connected to the battery cover on this phone...but before I would attempt this I would like to see a write up, orderly preferably with pictures....and I can't find one...
Sent from my XT925 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was the one that did the tear down on my phone. I am in the process of moving right now. If no one else has down a write up on the teardown within a few weeks, I will do a full step-by-step with pictures.

007shark said:
I was the one that did the tear down on my phone. I am in the process of moving right now. If no one else has down a write up on the teardown within a few weeks, I will do a full step-by-step with pictures.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be awesome...Would really appreciate it...do you know if the earpiece speaker would be hard to replace based on what you saw?
Sent from my XT925 using xda app-developers app

felcom said:
That would be awesome...Would really appreciate it...do you know if the earpiece speaker would be hard to replace based on what you saw?
Sent from my XT925 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The whole LCD face comes off with a couple of ribbon connections to the main board. I did not dive into looking inside the faceplate at the time, but will with the step-by-step.

[HELP] Water damage, trying to repair it myself

Apologize for my English....My phone is out of warranty. Got it on release, so I can't send it back to Google now.
I got some water damage when hiking in pouring rain last weekend. After letting it resting in rice for 2 days, it's mostly functioning, except the phone part.
For one thing, I lost LTE completely. I can still live with this, and am partially ok with it.
Screen was damaged, but touch function is still intact and the only thing visible is some pattern behind/on the screen, which I can live with as well.
The part that is not functioning, is the mic. Recording video works fine, since there is audio in the video. Calling other people doesn't work. The call would connect, but either headphone mic or the phone mic would pick up my voice. Phone would not pick my any voice when doing voice search either. I could hear the other party on call/voice just fine via headset, but no sound coming out of the top earpiece. Notification sound works, as well as alarms, but no sound would come out of the speaker playing Youtube video or music.
Is it only a part being damaged, or just get a new phone? Thanks XDA for advice!

Just get a new phone. Water damage is the hardest thing to try and fix on a phone. You have taken the right steps as far as rice and letting it sit for a few days. The only other thing you could try is to disassemble the phone and spray all parts down with an electrical degreaser(basically compressed alchohol). Honestly though the symptoms your describing might just be the tip of the iceberg. Oh, and a little pro tip to use with your next phone. When hiking or doing anything outdoors, always carry a small ziploc bag with you. If it starts raining put the phone and your wallet in it. That has saved me more than once.

I am kinda cheap and want to avoid spending another $200 on this....but seems I have to get a G2 or another Nexus 5.
Thanks for the tips.

Just get a g2.

You'll probably spend more money fixing a water damaged device

Microphone not working after repair

I've had my Nexus 5 for over 3 years now and it has seen countless ROMs, Kernels, rooting, all that kind of stuff. I also bought it in white and decided after some time that I want a black one so I bought a frame and a back panel and moved everything over to the new assembly. Shortly, it has seen a lot of mods.
My father used it for some time and one day he droped it and the microphone didn't work anymore in calls.
The problem was simple: in calls or while recording audio on whatsapp and such, the mic didnt work. While playing back the recording, there was a slight noise, just as you would keep the record button pushed but not talk and let it record only background noise. I can't remember, though, if while in call and on speaker the mic worked.
I bought a used flex cable with mic, charging port and everything on it (of which I was told was new), switched the old one with it and while playing back the recorded audio you can hear an awful distortion with slight oscilations as where the words should fit in.
However, the other person can hear me while in call and on speaker, but the sound is very, very bad.
My guess is that the mic on the flex cable that I bought was broken as well.
I thought of going ahead an buying another flex from a more trusted seller, but I'd like to get some advice firstly.
I tried anything that could be done with the software, this clearly is a hardware problem. What do you think I should check? What could be broken besides what i already know?
Thank you and have a lovely day!

I don't know if this will help but this guy seems to have a similar problem you can try his solution.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....nexus-5-microphone-speakerphone-t3043151/amp/
Sent from my Google Nexus 5 using XDA Labs

Hey!
Audio rec and calls use different microphones, however, I believe your problems are due to the connector slot on the PCB itself not due to flex cables. Just visually inspect your flex cables, do you see any strong fold lines or torn sections? If not it is quite unlikely.
Regarding the connector slot, find some repairmen who is able with a heat gun and flux, who can lift things from a pcb without damaging stuff. They can either reposition it or replace it.
Best of luck and I completely share your pain.
andreizet96 said:
I've had my Nexus 5 for over 3 years now and it has seen countless ROMs, Kernels, rooting, all that kind of stuff. I also bought it in white and decided after some time that I want a black one so I bought a frame and a back panel and moved everything over to the new assembly. Shortly, it has seen a lot of mods.
My father used it for some time and one day he droped it and the microphone didn't work anymore in calls.
The problem was simple: in calls or while recording audio on whatsapp and such, the mic didnt work. While playing back the recording, there was a slight noise, just as you would keep the record button pushed but not talk and let it record only background noise. I can't remember, though, if while in call and on speaker the mic worked.
I bought a used flex cable with mic, charging port and everything on it (of which I was told was new), switched the old one with it and while playing back the recorded audio you can hear an awful distortion with slight oscilations as where the words should fit in.
However, the other person can hear me while in call and on speaker, but the sound is very, very bad.
My guess is that the mic on the flex cable that I bought was broken as well.
I thought of going ahead an buying another flex from a more trusted seller, but I'd like to get some advice firstly.
I tried anything that could be done with the software, this clearly is a hardware problem. What do you think I should check? What could be broken besides what i already know?
Thank you and have a lovely day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

keoxkeox said:
Hey!
Audio rec and calls use different microphones, however, I believe your problems are due to the connector slot on the PCB itself not due to flex cables. Just visually inspect your flex cables, do you see any strong fold lines or torn sections? If not it is quite unlikely.
Regarding the connector slot, find some repairmen who is able with a heat gun and flux, who can lift things from a pcb without damaging stuff. They can either reposition it or replace it.
Best of luck and I completely share your pain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your answer. I know I'm replying after almost one year, but I have given up fixing the old Nexus. Maybe I will try opening it up again and checking what you said, but I don't think it is worth it anymore. I still power it up from time to time, just for the old days. Heh. ?

Main microphone not working

Hello, hope everyone is doing well.
So all of the sudden the main microphone on the bottom of the phone stopped working. So I can only talk now using earbuds or on speakerphone, and ran the diagnostics which said contact samsung, who put me in touch with some third party.
Does anyone know if it's something I could repair myself or do I have to take it in to be fixed and about how much would each cost.
The only phones I have repaired before ha a straight class no curve. And no longer have a precise digital hotplate.
Or are there a another things I should be considering here? I have tried to look to see if there is dirt or anything but even using a jewelers loupe I couldn't really see anything.
Thanks in advance!

SpectraSoul said:
Spoiler: Post
Hello, hope everyone is doing well.
So all of the sudden the main microphone on the bottom of the phone stopped working. So I can only talk now using earbuds or on speakerphone, and ran the diagnostics which said contact samsung, who put me in touch with some third party.
Does anyone know if it's something I could repair myself or do I have to take it in to be fixed and about how much would each cost.
The only phones I have repaired before ha a straight class no curve. And no longer have a precise digital hotplate.
Or are there a another things I should be considering here? I have tried to look to see if there is dirt or anything but even using a jewelers loupe I couldn't really see anything.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happened before the "all of the sudden"?
If there was dirt in the inlet channel to the microphone, the microphone should pick up muffled sounds during the propagation of a strong acoustic wave.
What produced the message on the screen you attached?
If it's a hardware defect in the phone then you won't fix it yourself cheaper than at a service center, because you don't have spare parts and experience.
Usually immediately before the repair you should be informed of the cost. Calculate if it is cost-effective for you. Sometimes after such repairs there are further problems, because the main cause has not been removed

If it was blown or had a puncture, deformation or dirt then yes there would be some distorted sounds but I have tried recording audio in other apps.
There is a very short like disconnection click when recording out of that mic. Doesn't happen when I record from the other mic. But does make the same click of I start voice recorder but then no voice.
Didn't drop it or get it or get it dirty. Maybe I got a little moisture on it whenever I take a shower, but really not much, and the mic sealed. If it was the pcb board for the mic, that's like 15-20 on eBay, and if it's the actual mic like wiring, or driver I would just need the part number for the mic.
The image on the screen is from when you go through: Device care, then diagnostics. It gives the options to test all the functions that make your phone usable. I did then I reformatted. Did the tests again.
Yes you are right they said they couldn't give a price but maybe around 150.
I just sort of like fixing things yet have never attempted removing curved screen and without precise temp control I would worry about the battery.
I have most the tools and have removed flat screen glass on a 3d printers base hot plate. But because of the curve I wonder if it would need something to hear the edge at the same time.
I'm also on workers comp right now trying to save some money and curious if anyone has had a similar experience or at least had success fixing hardware problems or curved glass phones

Also just figured out that I can use my earbuds with bixby but can not get bixby or google to do voice to text through my Galaxy buds

Oops sorry last night I changed pages to check something and thought my post was deleted